Games › Bullet Hell › Bullet Hell + Noir
Should I ship a Noir Bullet Hell?
Bullet Hell + Noir
Only 18 developers shipped a Noir Bullet Hell in the last 2 years, too few for firm odds: the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.; the top game by est. revenue, DeTechtive 2112, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 14 more are announced.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $420, ×0.9 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $180; 1 in 20 cleared $19k, ×42 the market median. Revenue is down 90% on the market; 14 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $179 (exactly $179) |
|---|---|
| Median | $416 (exactly $416) |
| Top 25% | $4.2k (exactly $4,196) |
| Top 5% | $20k (exactly $19,782) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 18 |
| Released games | 40 |
| Announced | 14 |
| Effort | 3 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | High |
| Typical price | $4.99 |
momentum: how a niche's revenue percentiles and developer count moved between two equal, adjacent periods, divided by the market's own move. See method., 12 months: revenue down 90% on the market, supply 25% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 15%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is high: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Bullet Hell
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
- Noir
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
- Systems
- Bullet Hell; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Adventure, Shooter
- Price point
- $4.99 typical · top 25% priced $10.99 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 1990's, 3D, Realistic
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $10.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.
The top 10 games average 80% positive over 324 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $180. All of the 9 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 14 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year.
Adjacent niches
Bullet Hell with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + SuperheroStrong odds
- + FaithFair
- + VampiresFair
- + Creature CollectorFair
- + Strategy RPGFair
- + PiratesFair
- + CatsFair
- + HackingFair
- + Time ManagementFair
- + Card BattlerFair
- + DemonsFair
- + Naval CombatFair
Comparable games
| Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Angel at Dusk | older | $14.99 | 1,676 98% | 50k | $754k (exactly $753,697) | Akiragoya |
| | LIBERATED | older | $19.99 | 679 77% | 20k | $407k (exactly $407,196) | Atomic Wolf, L.INC |
| | Soundodger 2 | older | $19.99 | 185 95% | 5.6k | $111k (exactly $110,944) | Studio Bean |
| | DeTechtive 2112 | $10.99 | 60 46% | 1.8k | $20k (exactly $19,782) | M11 Studio | |
| | Mr. Fast | older | $4.99 | 105 79% | 3.2k | $16k (exactly $15,718) | ZHANG FAN |
| | TOUHOU RHAPSODY OF MOON RABBIT | · EA | $9.99 | 47 82% | 1.4k | $14k (exactly $14,086) | 瓦尔基里游戏 |
| | Undead West | $7.99 | 35 82% | 1.1k | $8.4k (exactly $8,390) | Deathless Games | |
| | DEN PAIN | $2.04 | 110 88% | 3.3k | $6.7k (exactly $6,732) | TXC | |
| | Hit Zero: Chronos | older | $4.99 | 41 70% | 1.2k | $6.1k (exactly $6,138) | ZHANG FAN |
| | Memorise'n'run | older | $9.99 | 19 89% | 570 | $5.7k (exactly $5,694) | JOZGamer |
| | RAZE | $9.99 | 14 100% | 420 | $4.2k (exactly $4,196) | RAZE CLUB | |
| | Dark Erosion: Endless Siege | $6.99 | 15 80% | 450 | $3.1k (exactly $3,146) | LaoLiang | |
| | Miryam: The Polluted Land | $4.99 | 5 100% | 150 | $748 (exactly $748) | 6.5F Studio | |
| | X-teroids | $0.99 | 23 100% | 690 | $683 (exactly $683) | liangxiegame | |
| | Opollo | $0.99 | 14 85% | 420 | $416 (exactly $416) | Planetary Gears | |
| | 星界远航 Stellar Realm Voyage | · EA | $8.99 | 1 100% | 30 | $270 (exactly $270) | SGAIZFTX |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
Your address goes to Buttondown, which sends the letter, and nowhere else. Every issue has an unsubscribe link. No tracking beyond the open count Buttondown keeps.